Maryland to open three biodiesel refineries

Getting its New Year off to an environmentally friendly note, the state
of Maryland will see at least three biodiesel refineries open in 2006.

The Associated Press reported that government incentives promoting alternative fuels helped to bring
about plans for the refineries – two near Frederick and one on the Eastern
Shore.

One of the projects near Frederick would be both a soybean-crushing
plant and a biodiesel refinery on the same site, thus speeding up the production
process.

The owners of the plant said they would buy soybeans from central and
southern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. The plan is to produce about 5
million gallons of soybean oil each year, according to The AP.

OffWorld Health Inc. of Columbia, MD, and Cropper Oil Co. based in
Berlin, MD, will be responsible for the remaining two facilities.

James Warren, owner of Cropper Oil, told The AP that his facility will produce about 500,000 gallons
of biodiesel by spring, eventually expanding to 3 million gallons a year.